Poppies for schools to remember WWI dead

Every school in the UK is getting a free pack of poppy seeds to mark the Centenary of the First World War, as part of an educational initiative by The Royal British Legion aimed at helping young people understand the impact of conflict.

The project has been made possible by a £100,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and was launched in the garden of 10 Downing Street by the Prime Minister, along with pupils from The Cathedral School of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, Southwark.

As part of the Legion’s Centenary Poppy Campaign, the project will enable schools across the UK to plant the poppies in their school grounds as a gesture of remembrance to commemorate the centenary, and help pupils learn about the First World War.

The poppy seeds arrived in schools accompanied by a booklet entitled Remembrance and the Poppy: Past, Present and Future, which highlights the poppy’s heritage, traditions and its relevance in today’s society. In addition to the seeds, the HLF funding will enable 550 volunteer Remembrance Ambassadors to be trained over the next year to work with schools, community groups, religious groups, and home educator forums to provide a lasting legacy of remembrance education and understanding throughout the centenary period and beyond.. They will help young people explore the many stories of the First World War and increase their understanding of remembrance and the significance of the poppy.

“The First World War Centenary programme is about recognition and remembrance, focusing particularly on young people and helping them make a connection with the events that changed the world a century ago,” said Prime Minister David Cameron.

“This poppy initiative is a great idea that will help the next generation understand the significance of what happened during the First World War and commemorate the sacrifice of those who died.”

This initiative forms part of The Royal British Legion’s Centenary Poppy Campaign, which aims to cover the UK with poppies during the centenary period in commemoration of all those who lost their lives in the First World War.

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